Life Without Photoshop

Retouched gently using Paint.net

Let’s face facts, Photoshop is as ubiquious with image editing as Xerox once was with photocopying. But can you survive without Photoshop? What if you cannot afford it, or like me, find Photoshop needlessly complex? What if you do not like Photoshop, for whatever reason?

My argument is that post processing should be kept to a minimum. However we all want to bring out the full potential of our photos don’t we? so over the next few weeks I will help explore five free image editors and organiozation tools.

1. Paint.net – is a project that was once endorsed by Microsoft. It has become a very capable free image editor and can do much of what Photosho[ can do. I put Paint.net first not because I like it best, but because it is so easy to use, especially for selections and re-sizing pictures. (www.getpaint.net)
2. Picassa (by google) – Picassa’s strength isn’t editing, it is phot re-organization and touchup. Think of it as Photoshop’s “bridge”, or Photoshop Elements Orgnizer. The software had unioque features like face recognition and has some cool filters. You can adjust the exposure, crop, and fix red-eye. It is a must have for all photographers. (www.picassa.google.com)
3. GIMP – Graphics Image Manipulation Program – Is my favorite! It is powerful and in many respects mlore powerful than Photshop! It has more plugins available than Photoshop and because it is open source, everythiong for the GIMP is absolutely free. It is also easy to use, once you get the hang of it. What is its downfall? The interface is very different and you either like it, or you hate it. Because of that difference, some say its hard to learn but only if you know Photoshop already and are closed-minded. The GIMP rocks! (www.gimp.org)
4. GIMPhoto – Imagine that somebody took the GIMP and made it very much like Photoshop CS4 by changing the interface. Well somebody did.  (www.gimphoto.com)
5. Gimpshop – Is based on an older version of GIMP but it ALMOST PERFECTLY mimics Photoshop CS2. This is great for learning. And because it accepts all of the GIMP’s myriad of plugins things like red eye can be fixed with a mouseclick. (www.gimpshop.com)

And there you have it – five excellent FREE image editing tools. I believe that Paint.net and GIMP can rival or even improve Photoshop’s workflow. Now can somebody answer me a question? Why is it that people who know Phoptoshop are so reluctant to try something else, even if it is better? GIMP is better for many tasks, has more filters and plugns, etc. Paint.net is more user-friedly, has a better interface, and is speedier to work with!

Over the next while, we will look at some aspects of the free photo editors and we will explore some inexpensive commercial products such as Corel Paintshop X4 and Serif Graphics X4 as well.